Miracle Mumma
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Amilia Love Cairns
I was filling out my forms and went to hand them in but before I could even do that they asked me to come through rather promptly. Nick and I were nervous as hell. We even spoke about names on the way in, just in case. I sat on the bed and 2 nurses came in. One got the fetal doppler on my belly with nothing, no heartbeat. She tried again, at this moment I started crying; I knew our precious baby was gone. -
The struggle is part of the story
My name is Amy. I’m 28 years old and grew up in the Adelaide Hills. I’m a Registered Nurse, and I love coffee – I think these two things go hand in hand! I’m also a wife to Scott, and a Mum to a healthy, happy 20-month-old boy named James. From the outside looking in, my life is pretty textbook, and pretty perfect. And it is! But there’s a reason people say, ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ – because you might miss an amazing story. And this is mine… -
My experience of being a NICU Dad...
That night, despite the doctors and nurses best attempts to prevent it, I watched my wife experienced labour. I watched her experience the contractions and the pain, just like any other mother to be. But for me, it just didn’t feel real. Looking back, I can honestly say that even at this stage, I was still in a state of complete disbelief and I was utterly clueless as to what was happening. I had no idea about premature birth…it isn’t something they warn you about! I didn’t even realise it was possible that our baby could be delivered this early, and I certainly didn’t think it was possible that he could survive. I just didn’t believe our little boy was on his way. -
Our Journey to Baby #2 (Part Four): We can't catch a break!
Dr L had done his research and read our notes, so I didn’t have to repeat our story. He knew that we’d had a rough time and he understood that I felt ignored. We discussed the surgery and Dr L was honest…my (uterine) septum was thick, and it was challenging. One of the first things he asked me is ‘how far are you willing to go?’, but I had no idea that he meant literally.... -
“The hardest thing I’ve ever endured”: one Mumma's heartbreaking journey through pre-term labour, infant loss and infertility to her little miracle rainbow baby
In October 2010, after 4 years of marriage and lots of travel, Mr and Mrs H finally decided they were ready to try for a baby. Like most people, Mrs H assumed it would happen quite easily. But after 4-5 months off the pill with very irregular periods, she realised she was wrong. She had no idea when, or even if, she was ovulating. They started seeking medical advice, and after multiple tests including bloods, xrays and ultrasounds, it was discovered that Mrs H had a bicornuate (heart shaped) uterus with a septum. They decided to stop trying and focus on getting this fixed before she fell pregnant. Mrs H had part of her septum removed via laparoscopic surgery, leaving her uterus only slightly heart shaped. -
Our Journey to Baby #2 (Part Three): It Shouldn't Be This Hard
On Monday, I finally had the diagnostic HSG (hysterosalpingogram) required to determine the success of my uterine septum resection surgery. In other words, they took some fancy pictures to check how much septum was remaining in my uterus after they had attempted to remove it. After getting into a gown and having the procedure explained, the radiographer left the room to organise her team. I sat butt-naked on the side of the cold bed feeling completely exposed thinking ‘it shouldn’t be this hard’. I was over it…the invasive procedures, the constant appointments, the poking and prodding, the clinical and sterile aspect to what was meant to be a natural part of life. I felt like an experiment. Sitting here writing this now, I can feel the same heaviness in my chest and the lump in my throat as when I was sitting in that cold, empty room fighting back the tears. -
Felicity fights brain cancer
Flic is a 32-year-old Mum of 5 and she has brain cancer.
About a month ago, I had a beautiful Mum message me telling me the story of her friend who was being flown down from NT to deliver her baby at 33 weeks as they had just found she has a 5.5cm brain tumour. She would need to deliver bubs early before preparing for neurosurgery to have the tumour debulked. My heart broke into a thousand pieces for this family, and I have been praying for them ever since. Just days ago I had an update on their story shared to me via their Go Fund Me page.
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My pockets aren't full, but my heart is...
I’ve recently been asked (countless times) why I’ve gone back to my day job as a nurse, considering “Miracle Mumma is so successful”. The truth is, I didn’t have a choice. While it is my dream to run my ‘small business’ from home around my boy’s naps while I also watch him learn and grow, it’s unfortunately not realistic. Yes, Miracle Mumma is successful, but is it making me rich? Hell no! There are two main reasons behind this – one is completely out of my control, and the other is completely within my control. -
Meet Eamon a.k.a Batman: Ready to kick cancer's butt!
Meet Eamon Obst a.k.a Batman: a cheeky, smiley, three-year-old boy from Adelaide. After noticing some changes in Eamon over Easter (particularly dark urine that didn’t respond to drinking water), his family took him to the doctor. The doctor took action straight away and asked for a urine specimen and an ultrasound after finding a small lump on what she thought was his liver from an external examination. After further tests and scans Eamon was diagnosed with Wilms Tumour - a cancer of the kidney - which had spread to his lungs. Since the diagnosis, Eamon has undergone further surgery to investigate/remove the kidney, however it was found to be too large to take direct action. Eamon must now undergo 6 rounds of chemotherapy in an attempt to shrink the tumour in order for surgeons to be able to remove the problem kidney. Eamon will also undergo radiation therapy on his stomach and quite possibly his lungs depending on the responsiveness to chemo. -
Our journey to baby #2 (Part Two): Diagnostic surgery...Bicornuate or Septate?
Yesterday I woke up before the sun to get ready for my hysteroscopy +/- laparoscopy to finally get some answers on my uterus. At this stage I wasn’t feeling nervous, I was even joking with Scott about how this might be the last time he saw me (dramatic much?) My Mum had taken James the night before, and mostly we missed waking up to him. So we stood in the bathroom watching videos of him giggling before Scott went to work. I packed a hospital bag but was adamant I would be breaking out that night. My heart would literally break into pieces if I didn’t see James all day, and then they’d have to do another operation to stick that back together. So yes, I was coming home that day. -
Our journey to baby # 2 (Part One)
Scott and I have recently been deliberating over whether we would once again share our journey to pregnancy (and beyond) through my blog. I knew I would be writing it all down like last time as a way of coping with my emotions and processing what we are going through (and to save Scott from my emotional outbursts every 5 minutes), but I was unsure if I would share it immediately considering the likelihood that something might go wrong. But last week I received a message from a Mum who has been following our journey since I shared my first ever blog about infertility. She said my posts were inspirational during their struggle to conceive, and she has coincidentally just found me again through Miracle Mumma after having her twins prematurely. Suddenly, all of our reservations disappeared - this was the confirmation we needed to share every step of our journey forward with you all…be prepared for a ‘hot mess’ overshare of everything from timed intercourse to vaginal mucous. As I always say…if our story reaches just one person who is going through something similar and is up at night googling for hope, it is all worth it. -
The premmie experience doesn’t end after NICU
When you give birth to a baby prematurely, the final goal is taking your baby home – that’s what it’s all about. It’s the light at the end of the tunnel, it’s what you focus on every single day to get you through. For me, I let myself believe that when James came home from hospital, it was the end of the rollercoaster journey we had been flung onto. I was looking forward to finally having some semblance of a normal newborn life with my family. I wasn’t at all prepared for the ongoing concerns and anxieties that follow having a premature baby.
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